Cabin crew employed by Scandinavian Airline Services (SAS) have issued strike threats over Christmas, doubtlessly disrupting winter holiday plans. More than 130 airline personnel stationed at Heathrow are set to stage walkouts on December 22, 23, 24 and 26 after reportedly being pushed to depend on food banks as a consequence of insufficient compensation packages.
The Sweden-based SAS is favored by vacationers for festive winter getaways, together with journeys to Finnish Lapland, extensively regarded as Santa Claus’s homeland, as effectively as Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo.
Sharon Graham, basic secretary for the Unite union, declares: “Scandinavian Airlines publicly praise their cabin crew yet in private it is cynically trying to short-change them. This is totally unacceptable when the airline depends on their expertise and passengers rely on them for safety. Cabin crew [are] not eating correctly or sleeping properly because of poverty wages. Unite will be fully supporting its members through this dispute.”
The union claims cabin crew obtain such meager wages that they need to depend on food banks in Scandinavia to acquire meals earlier than returning to the UK. SAS has allegedly proposed a 3.5% wage increase to employees, falling short of the present 4.3% inflation fee.
Callum Rochford, regional officer for Unite, states: “This is real Grinch-style behaviour from SAS – it is taking advantage of the goodwill of its staff and will now be responsible for the cancelled Christmas flights.
“It’s a good job Santa has a flying sleigh as a result of he would not be going anyplace on Scandinavia Airlines on Christmas Eve. SAS wants to come back back to the negotiating desk with a correct pay offer for cabin crew or face the wrath of offended passengers for a dispute of its own making.”
An SAS spokesperson told LBC: “We are presently engaged in negotiations with the related events. As the talks are ongoing, we’re unable to remark additional at this level in time.”
